 Hi everyone, welcome back to my channel and today's big closet declutter, organizing my wardrobe for spring 2022. Are you like me feeling pretty overwhelmed with one very messy wardrobe of clothes? Do you have pieces on your rail that you just never reach for? Some items might be damaged and you just didn't get around to fixing them. Or maybe you just have a habit of keeping things for the nostalgia factor. If you're answering yes to some of those points, today's video should really help. Not only will I be sharing the process I go through when I'm decluttering and organizing my wardrobe, but also the tips and tricks that I reach for that make the whole process so much more bearable and rewarding too. So without further ado, let's get this big closet declutter started. So tip number one, get all of your clothes where you can see them. I might put this down before I speak to camera. I tend to keep the old season in the attic in boxes. So just be getting all of those down. But wherever you keep your spring summer pieces, make sure you find them all, literally everything from the bottom of your drawers to hidden under your bed. There's always something lurking somewhere. And then you want to get from your messy room your rail of winter clothes ready to pack away for another season. Or finding those pieces that you want to donate or sell. Gotta wiggle this in. And this is probably the point at which you think, really, should I do this today? Am I quite in the mood? And that's the point. You have to think to yourself, no, I have got to get it done. I will feel so much better in the end. A good sign for me that I know I need to declutter aside from the state of this rail is once I start reaching for these emergency hangers which really bug me on my rail, that's when I know I've got too much stuff I need to get rid of some pieces. Okay, so this is a storm before the calm. Make sure you've got some boxes to hand so you can put things away in the garage or the attic or wherever you tend to store them. All those autumn, winter pieces that we're going to separate. I also find it really handy to have piece of paper and a pen to hand so that I can write down any gaps in my wardrobe as and when I see them. Or perhaps if I'm thinking about a particular trend and I haven't already got it, I can write it down. And this actually then becomes a really good reference next time I'm shopping because I can see very clearly what I actually need. So all of these clothes here comprises autumn, winter and spring, summer. So there's way too much going on and it's really, really confusing. So the easiest place to start is to separate those height of winter pieces which I'm definitely not going to be reaching for in spring, let alone in summer. Starting with some heavy winter coats. Now I tend to make a couple of different piles. I've got a donate pile which I tend to donate to a local women's refuge. I have my chuck pile which are just too worn or too tatty to be given to anybody else. And I also have a maybe pile for those pieces that I can't really decide what to do with them. Haven't really worn them very much but equally they're kind of still pulling at my heart. I am terrible for being quite sentimental about my clothes. Either they've got a lovely memory to them like wore them in a certain place or even I do this silly thing where oh I remember Walter said da da da da da or Freddie did this that and the other when I was wearing that. Which is ridiculous I know and will lead me to becoming a bit of a hoarder. So in this particular closet declutter I'm going to force myself to be even more ruthless than I am normally. This blazer actually is probably a good example of the questions you should ask yourself when you're picking something off the rail and deciding whether to keep it or not. Do you feel good in it? That is definitely one of the biggest questions you should be asking yourself. And I know it's easily forgotten and you can end up with a ton of pieces in your wardrobe you don't even feel very nice in. Does it flatter your shape? Or perhaps even more appropriate does it flatter your shape that you are now because I am guilty of this as well. Keeping things in my wardrobe that perhaps are 10 years old and no longer fit me or they dig in in all the wrong places because my body shape has changed. Is it in a nice condition or if it's not could it easily be fixed? And as an extension of that will you realistically get around to doing it? And if the answer is no then you pretty much know what to do. But after all of that I have answered my own question. This one sadly needs to go in the cell or donate pile. Another helpful tip while you're going through this process is to plan your reward. So you're decluttering everything maybe you're donating a few pieces or you're selling a few online. Think about treating yourself to that piece that you've wanted for a while obviously within reason. Let that be the motivation. I do find that really helps keep me going. You're a smoothie darling. Yes please. As well as smoothies. That helps keep me going as well. And I'm also going to just jot down another list of those pieces that I know I will be missing come or to winter. So navy wool coat being one of them. Hopefully there's not too much to go on there. He does take his moments to start going with the sweetie maker. Always when I'm filming but he's a feeder. He likes to bring me food and drinks and things while I'm filming which is very sweet of him. Just which one is so noisy. Now it's really helpful to keep in mind the fashion trends that you do want to join in with for this spring summer 2022. Blazers of course being one of them that I will definitely be joining in with. So I'm keeping pretty much all of mine for spring. I've just put away some of the really heavy warms. Now you'll see once I move on to the spring summer pieces that I do have and start managing to put those onto the rail but I'm going to be keeping an eye out for the cut out trend in a more subtle fashion if I have anything that ticks that box. Any more blazers to add to my collection. Definitely going to be doing the white on white trend. I'm pretty confident already that I don't have many mini skirts. So I think I need to write that onto my missing list for as and when I find a lovely one. White leg trousers is another fashion trend for this 2022 that I'm very excited about. So I'll be picking those pieces out as well and maybe getting rid of some of those skinnier shapes and either donating those or selling them. Another really helpful tip is when I've gone through this whole process I go back to my maybe pile and I take each item and give it a really good iron. And then I start styling it with a couple of the pairs of trousers or jeans that I have decided to keep. Because I do think when it's all crumpled like this it's very hard to see what the item actually looks like. Given its best shot, iron it beautifully, style it with some of your favorite pieces you have decided to keep. And then you can make that call whether you like it styled in a new way or perhaps it's just not for you anymore. It's a really satisfying feeling, just clearing the decks. It feels like I'm actually getting somewhere now. And obviously a great big donate pile there that we'll see those clothes have a new lease of life with somebody else. Always keeping that dress. I wondered where, see this is how decluttering helps because I thought I'd lost this beautiful Prada top which I was obviously really gussed about. That lovely one with the bow on the front and it was hidden under my dress. So see what can happen when you actually declutter. You find pieces that you thought you'd lost forever. Knitted dresses definitely sticking around for another season. So I'll be keeping both of those in my spring summer wardrobe. And actually, although they're a niche, they're really breathable too. So I think they may even, depending on the weather, do for summer as well. Another helpful tip is to track what you actually wear. So on a daily basis, just get into the habit of looking in the mirror, taking a quick selfie of your outfit. And then in a couple of months time you can look back through those pictures on your phone and see which of those pieces you are actually reaching for on a weekly basis. And if you do tend to see something on repeat, so blazers for instance, that you're wearing every third day, then you can feel quite safe investing in pieces like that because it's obviously your natural uniform that you go to. I've just found this pretty blue dress in a box from the attic. Please excuse how cruised it is, but it really explains a point I wanted to make. Now I wouldn't say this dress is particularly on trend this season. However, I will be wearing it and keeping it in my wardrobe. And my reason being is because quite simply, I like it. I feel really comfortable in it. I think it flutters my shape. It's very pretty and it's elegant. And I know from last summer there were lots of different occasions that I reach for it. I'm really not keen on all these dos and don'ts of fashion. Don't wear this because you're over 40. Don't wear that because it makes you look really old fashioned. It's those very statements themselves that feel really old fashioned to me. We're all different shapes and sizes, so something that works on you might not work on me. And equally we all like something different which is absolutely what makes life interesting. Fashion is about experimentation and true style begins when you're feeling totally comfortable in what you're wearing first and foremost. So try and ignore all those silly rules that say what you can and you can't wear and trust your gut instead. If you feel nice, chances are you look it. It really shouldn't be more complicated than that. So once you've got rid of all those heavy winter pieces you can then start grouping things into categories which will make your life so much easier on a day-to-day basis when you're trying to get dressed if you've got jeans together, trousers together, dresses, summer dresses. And it's at this stage once everything feels a bit more organized that those outfit ideas really pop out at you. So this pair of trousers for example that I bought last summer from Coz and absolutely loved them, I wore them an awful lot. I'm just looking at those and thinking, yeah that's gonna go really nicely with that rosewood Bretton top that I bought a couple of months ago from Cezanne. Really like those two together. So then I will lay those two pieces down on the floor and take a quick photo of that as an outfit idea. And if you get into the habit of doing that, it becomes a really easy reference for you right on your phone of all those outfit ideas that you wanted to create. It's a bit like having your own Pinterest mood board of outfit ideas right there on your phone that you can reach for in those moments when you really don't know what to wear. And on that note actually, try not to always opt for the traditional way you would wear something like I just did putting a pair of navy trousers with my Bretton stripe top. It's good to step yourself out of your comfort zone because that's generally when you find a new outfit that you can fall in love with. Obviously it doesn't always work, but when it does I tend to find those really special outfit ideas that are just a little bit different in a combination that I hadn't really thought of, I didn't usually reach for, but actually one that I really like. Another style tip for your closet declutter would be to try and learn from your mistakes. Take this dress for example. It is a pretty dress, but it is also a bright blue and quite busy printed dress, which as you can probably tell is not really my usual style. And then as you would expect, I've barely worn it and I haven't really got my use out of it at all. So I look at a dress like this and I think I need to learn from my mistake. Bright prints are obviously not my cup of tea, I'm not going to get my wear out of it, so it's definitely an area that I shouldn't invest in. And if you've got a memory like a sieve like I have, I tend to write that down as well in big bold letters on my piece of paper so that I remember, don't get distracted by shiny bright prints along the way because as it happens, I don't tend to wear them very much. Also in this organizing stage, it will start to become very obvious what your natural uniform is meant to be. So for me, what is glaringly obvious is I like jeans a lot, seemingly. I like to have pretty tops and I like to pair it with a blazer. So that is pretty much my default uniform. If in doubt, that's the kind of outfit I reach for. So when you do this process yourself and you realize what those key pieces are for you in your own wardrobe, what is your uniform that you're tending to wear at least on a weekly basis, jot those down on the piece of paper because those are the pieces that you can feel pretty safe investing in next time you're shopping. You know you're going to be wearing them on repeat, reaching for them a lot, so they should get a bigger portion of the budget for your wardrobe. Wow, that was a very big declutter. It's literally taken me all day. But I can't tell you how much better it feels just to get things organized. I've managed to put enough pieces in the donate or sell pile to get rid of all of those awful emergency hangers and I am literally down to my last wooden ones. So I'm thinking whatever's on the rail now is meant to be. But in all seriousness, I'll probably even take another look at this rail and re-edit it and refine it even more, taking away those extra pieces that I really don't think I'll reach for. So I've got my list, all those pieces that I feel like I'm missing to get me ready for spring somewhere 2022. It's not a huge list, but just a few important bits and pieces that I think will bridge the gap perfectly. So do keep your eye out for a video coming very soon where I will have shopped my missing pieces that are on my list. And I'll be sharing everything I bought to complete my perfect spring wardrobe. I really hope you found all these tips helpful. I cannot recommend this process enough. I know it feels like a big job and it is quite a big job. However, the feeling that you get of just having everything clear and organized and the piles ready to sell and donate, it makes me feel calm inside, but it's also so much better for putting outfits together on a daily basis. It really will make your life so much easier. So do follow these tips and let me know in the comments section. One, if you're going to try this process yourself and how you get on. And two, perhaps you found another tip along the way that you think might be really helpful for one of the other subscribers. Do let me know all your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you so much for watching and I really hope you found this video helpful and it makes your life a bit easier with your own wardrobe. Have a wonderful week everyone. I will see you next Sunday.